Page 26 of Faking it with My Boss' Son

Amy, Chelsea, and Eric decided that it had been a long time since we had been out together, so they all decided to eat out that night and insisted that I join them. I had no desire to go out but was left with no option, as they were unwilling to take no for an answer. Amy was a pain in the neck, taking pictures the whole time and asking me and others to pose for the pictures. I was beside myself and all I really wanted to do was to go home and rest.

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After my morning run, I opened the refrigerator to take out a bottle of water when my eyes happened upon the different food containers packed neatly with labels on the shelf. Then my memory returned, and I remembered that Michelle wasn’t here. She was at her friend’s place. I felt a pang in my heart at the thought of an empty house. A pang that I’d never experienced before; it held me in its grip, and I realized I’d have to be without her for ten long days.

I sat at the table after preparing myself breakfast: two eggs, hot porridge, toast, and a coffee. I could almost imagine Michelle sitting beside me, eating in her usual calm and relaxed manner, wiping her mouth with a tissue in between bites, sipping a cup of coffee, and listening to me speak in such a thoughtful manner. I could almost feel her.

I hadn’t spoken to her since yesterday. My phone died last night, so I kept it on the charger till morning. I came home late from dinner, and then I woke up early for my run and only had two hours of sleep. The lack of sleep had worn me out. Maybe I will text her later on to see how things are going. I went to my room and collapsed on the bed. I closed my eyes to catch a few more hours when the cacophonic beeping notifications woke me up.

Oh, God! This beeping sound is driving me crazy. It’d be better to put my phone on silent for a while.

My eyes were heavy. All I wanted to do was sleep. I yawned, sat upright on my bed, and fiddled with the side table to find my phone. My eyes opened wide as I looked at the text I received from Ivan:

Hey, did you see the picture Amy posted of you two from last night?

I immediately opened FB to see what the picture was about. I saw red when I realized that Amy had uploaded a picture from yesterday’s dinner. It would have been okay if she’d uploaded a picture of Eric and Chelsea along with both of us but she had cropped them out of the picture and edited the picture in such a way that it looked like only the two of us were there. I was furious and wanted to give her a piece of my mind.

I wonder what Michelle must’ve thought about this picture. Is that why she hadn’t texted me?

Any hopes of sleep vanished. I wanted to talk to Michelle.

I sat up in the bed, my heart beating fast in my chest. I dialed Michelle’s number, my palms sweaty. But I chickened out, and I hung up before she could answer. This had never happened to me before. I could almost hear her euphonious voice calling my name: Ryan, where have you been? I tried calling you, but your phone was off.

I smiled at myself, imagining these words coming out of Michelle's mouth. I dialed her number once more and again hung up before I could hear it ring.

What’s happening to me? Why can’t I gather the courage to talk to Michelle? I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. You can do it, Ryan. It’s not the first time you’re talking to her. Stay calm and talk to her normally. I dialed her number for a third time, determined to talk to her this time. She picked up after a few rings and greeted me coldly, which made my heart sink. I had no idea of the reason behind her cold and unfriendly tone.

‘‘Hi, Ryan.’’

‘‘Hi, Michelle. How are you settling in at Leah’s place? I’ve been meaning to check in, but I was out late last night, and then my phone died.’’

‘‘That’s fine, you don’t owe me an explanation, Ryan.’’ She said, without any real emotion.

I didn’t expect this biting reply from her. What’s going on? Why’s she talking like this? “Are you okay?’’

‘‘Yes, I’m okay,’’ again, her reply was unfriendly.

‘‘When are you coming back?’’ I already knew the answer, but I didn't know what else to say at that moment.

‘‘I told you I’d be staying for a week. Is everything okay? Do you need me for something?”

‘‘No… Michelle, nothing like that. I was only missing your presence,’’ I blurted out. She didn’t reply for a while, ‘‘Michelle, are you there?’’

‘‘Ryan… I have to talk to you about something really important, but I want to talk to you about it when I get back from my trip back home. I can’t talk to you about this over the phone.’’ She said with apprehension in her voice.

My heart dropped into my stomach. Something was surely not right. I pressed my lips and sighed, ‘‘Is everything okay, Michelle?’’

‘‘Yes… Everything is fine. I just have a few things to work through.’’

‘‘We could meet somewhere near Leah’s house and talk,” I said, trying not to have to wait a week before finding out what was going on in Michelle’s head.

“Can we meet next Monday after I get home from my trip?” She offered. “I am heading to my parents on Thursday and will be home Monday morning.”

‘‘Yes, Monday will work. Are you sure you are okay? You don’t sound like yourself.’’ I said, truly concerned.

‘‘I’m fine, Ryan. We’ll talk later. I have to go.”

‘‘Okay, Bye,’’ I replied slowly, my nerves consumed me.

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